Sky The Unwanted Kitten

Chapter Eight

Lucy and Izzy had agreed to race home after school as fast as they could get Amber to go. As they dashed down their road, Lucy spotted her mum in the driveway, carrying something bulky. It looked awfully like the special box that Sky had come in.

A horrible thought suddenly struck her. What if Mum had taken Sky back earlier than planned? What if Sky had already gone?

She sped ahead of Amber and Izzy, and flung herself through the gates. Her mum had put the box down on the driveway while she closed the garage door, and it was open at the top, its flaps not folded together. It was empty.

Lucy knelt down beside it and looked in, knowing it was no use, but hoping that somehow Sky was there after all, she just wasn’t looking properly. But there was no kitten. Lucy was too late. Holding the flaps of the box, Lucy started to cry.

“Lucy!” Her mum was staring at her in horror. “Lucy, what is it? Whatever’s the matter?”

Lucy was crying too hard to speak. Izzy and Amber had now caught up with her. Izzy stared down at the box. “Oh no! She’s gone already?”

Lucy nodded, her shoulders heaving.

“Girls, what is going on?” Lucy’s mum asked.

Izzy looked up at her. “Lucy was going to tell you she didn’t want to give Sky back after all. It was all a big mistake.”

Lucy’s mum gasped. “Lucy? Is this true?” She bent down and pulled Lucy up, putting an arm round her. Lucy clung on to her, still crying quietly.

“Yes,” she gulped. “Sorry!”

“But why didn’t you say?” her mum asked, confused.

Lucy heaved a shuddering sigh. “Because I thought you only gave me Sky to make me forget about everyone back home, and I didn’t want to forget my friends!”

“That’s not why we gave you Sky!” Her mum sounded hurt. “Although … I suppose I can understand how you’d see it like that. Oh, Lucy.”

“And now it’s too late anyway,” Lucy sniffed.

Her mum smiled. “Actually it’s not.”

Lucy looked up at her in sudden hope. “Can we get Sky back?”

“We don’t have to. I was just getting the box out of the garage ready, that’s all. Sky’s inside somewhere. I’m not sure where, I’ve only been back ten minutes.” Lucy’s mum smiled as Lucy, Izzy and Amber dashed over to the front door. “Would you like me to let you in, by any chance?”

The girls burst into the house as soon as she opened the door, calling eagerly for Sky, expecting her to come running. Lucy couldn’t help thinking how lovely it was not to have to pretend she didn’t care about her lovely kitten. Her kitten! Sky really was hers now!

“Have you found her?” Lucy’s mum called a couple of minutes later, once she’d put the box away. “I’d better ring the breeder and tell her we’re not bringing Sky back after all.”

But Lucy, Izzy and Amber were coming down the stairs, looking worried.

“What’s the matter?” Lucy’s mum asked, putting her coat away.

“She’s not here,” Lucy said anxiously. “She couldn’t have got out, could she, Mum? She’s disappeared. We’ve looked everywhere.”

Her mum shut the cupboard door. “I don’t see how she could’ve got out. She was definitely in when I left, I saw her sitting on the back of the sofa as I went out. Come on, let’s look again. She’s probably hiding, and playing a game with us.”

But they looked and looked, and when Kieran got home he joined in, too, and Lucy’s dad a while later. By the time Amber had to drag Izzy home for tea, they still hadn’t found her. Sky had disappeared completely.

Tucked away in her warm little nest, Sky had heard everyone searching and calling. She’d almost come out, but maybe they were only trying to find her so they could take her away? The voices calling her name sounded frightened and upset. She thought Lucy was crying, and that made her feel sad, too. Maybe she should come out, and make Lucy feel better? It was so hard to know.

Sky wanted her basket to go back in its proper place in the kitchen. If she waited till they all went to bed, maybe she could go and see if they’d put it back for her? Yes, she would come out then. She was awfully hungry, though, and it was a long time to wait.

Sky tunnelled underneath a tasselled scarf to make her bed more comfortable. The cupboard was chilly, and so lonely. Oh, she wished Lucy would come and find her – the nice Lucy who stroked her so lovingly, and told her how beautiful she was. That Lucy didn’t want to give her away, she was sure!

“Lucy, I know you want to keep looking, but it’s really late. You have to go to bed – you’ve got school in the morning. We’ll search outside tomorrow, even though I still don’t see how Sky could’ve got out.” Lucy’s mum looked anxiously out of the window into the darkness.

Lucy stared out of the window as well, and shivered. It was so dark and cold now. Sky had only been outside the house that once when she’d slipped through the front door. She couldn’t stop imagining poor little Sky out there on her own, perhaps hiding under a bush, cold and frightened.

She hugged her mum sadly, then slowly climbed the stairs to her room. Was it only this morning that Sky had woken her up by licking her face? It seemed so long ago. She got into bed, and lay there wishing she hadn’t been so stupid. If only she’d told her parents sooner that she’d changed her mind, then maybe this wouldn’t have happened.

Sky was determined to wait until everyone had gone to bed before she came out. Then she would go and see if they had put her things back in their proper places. If they hadn’t, well, she would go back into the cupboard until they did! But she would find something to eat first.

As the noise in the house died down, she cautiously crawled out of her woolly nest and perched at the edge of the basket, her paws on the rim, listening carefully. Could she sneak out and look around yet? Was it safe? Perhaps she could creep up the stairs and see Lucy, too. She missed her so much!

Sky threaded her way carefully across the cupboard, avoiding a pile of umbrellas, and squeaking with disgust as she bumped into Kieran’s muddy football boots. Here was the door – she could see a line of light shining from the hallway.

But shouldn’t that line be bigger?

Sky was horrified as she realized that the door to the cupboard was closed. Confused, she scrabbled desperately at the wood, hoping to make the door open again. This door had definitely been open before. Why was it shut now? She yowled in frustration and fury, her tiny claws leaving long scratches in the paint.

Eventually, Sky’s howls turned to frightened cries. She was trapped. She couldn’t get out. What if she never got out?

Lucy! Come and find me! Please! she mewed.

But everyone else in the house was asleep, tired from searching and crying and worrying, and no one heard.

Eventually, Sky clambered back into her safe little nest. She wriggled under Lucy’s hat and fell asleep, her paws sore from scratching.

A little later Lucy woke up with a start. She’d been half-dreaming, half-worrying. What if Sky hadn’t just slipped out because she spotted an open door? What if she’d run away on purpose?

Lucy knew she had been behaving oddly, playing with Sky one minute, and ignoring her the next. Maybe Sky had given up on her. After all, she had been taken away from her home and her mum, too, and everything had been different and strange, just like it had been for Lucy.

I drove her away, Lucy thought miserably, certain now that this was what had happened. Suddenly she threw back her duvet. “I made her go, and it’s up to me to go and find her,” she muttered to herself. “I can’t leave her out there, thinking I don’t love her. This is all my fault.”

It was past midnight, and Lucy was pretty sure everyone was asleep. She grabbed her torch, which luckily was on top of one of her boxes, and sneaked down the stairs. She wasn’t going to bother getting dressed – her pyjamas were fleecy and warm. She’d just put on her big dressing gown, and her fluffy hat and scarf. She was pretty sure Mum had unpacked them, and they were in that cupboard under the stairs.

Inside the cupboard, Sky was in a restless half-sleep. Then all at once the door opened, and a beam of light cut into the gloom of the cupboard, dazzling Sky for a moment before her eyes adjusted. It was Lucy! Sky was about to run to her, when she remembered the way her basket and food bowl were piled up on the kitchen counter. Did Lucy still want her? She peered out from under Lucy’s hat, her eyes big and round and hopeful in the dark.

“It’s my fault,” Lucy whispered to herself. “Poor Sky. All because I was so stubborn.”

Sky heard her name, and Lucy’s sad voice. But what did it mean?

Lucy spotted the basket, and flashed the torch over the top, looking for her hat and scarf. It was cold outside and she might be out searching for a while – she wasn’t coming back until she’d found Sky and brought her home!

Then she stopped with a gasp. Peering out from under her hat was a tiny creamy-white head. Big blue eyes blinked at her uncertainly.

“Sky!” Lucy breathed. “There you are! Mum was right, you didn’t get out after all! Oh, Sky, we’ve been looking for you all night.” She crouched down next to the basket, and looked closely at her. “Are you all right? Were you stuck in here? Why didn’t you call?”

Sky watched Lucy warily. Her voice sounded loving, but a little sad as well. Please don’t give me back… she mewed. I want to stay!

“Were you hiding?” Lucy asked slowly. “Because you didn’t know what was going on? Oh, Sky, I’m so sorry…” She reached out one finger, very gently, and rubbed Sky under her chin. “It’s all going to be fine now, I promise. No more pretending I don’t love you, because I really, really do. I know I do. Please come out!”

Sky stood up unsteadily on the pile of hats and gloves, and mewed again. I’m so hungry! she told Lucy.

“You must be starved,” Lucy muttered. Very gently, she picked Sky up, cradling her close.

Sky could feel Lucy’s heart beating as she carried her to the kitchen. Her own heart was thumping anxiously, too. Where would her basket be? She sat tensely in Lucy’s arms as she opened the door, and turned on the kitchen light. Then she howled in dismay. It was piled up on the counter still, with her bowl and food bag. They were still going to give her away!

“Hey, hey, Sky, what’s wrong?” Lucy asked. “Oh! Your basket. Does it look strange up on the counter like that? It’s all right, look.” Whispering soothingly and cuddling the tiny kitten in one arm, Lucy took Sky’s toys out of the basket and put it back in its warm corner by the radiator. Sky stopped crying, and leaned over Lucy’s arm to sniff it suspiciously. It seemed right. Good. Now all Lucy had to do was get her food bowl.

“Lucy!” Lucy’s mum was at the kitchen door, her dressing gown half-tied, looking worried. “What are you doing?” she said. “Oh, you’ve found her! Where was she?” She turned to Lucy’s dad, who had followed her downstairs. “Lucy’s found Sky!”

Lucy carried her kitten over for her mum to stroke. “She was in the cupboard under the stairs. She must have been there all that time!” She looked seriously at her parents. “I think she was hiding because she didn’t know whether we wanted her or not,” she said quietly. “But we really do, don’t we?”

“Of course we do,” said Mum.

Her dad poured some food into Sky’s bowl. “I bet she’s starving.”

Sky started to eat, gulping down the food, then looking hopefully for more.

“It’s not that long till breakfast, Sky, don’t worry!” Lucy giggled. She looked up at her mum and dad. “Can Sky sleep on my bed?” she begged.

Her mum nodded. “If you get back to bed right this minute! In fact, I think we should all get back to bed!”

Sky rubbed her head against Lucy’s chin as she carried her upstairs. She could tell how happy Lucy was.

As Lucy snuggled up under her warm duvet, Sky curled up next to her on the pillow and purred loudly. There was no place either of them would rather be! Lucy and Sky were home.